Ramos was a happy woman, at least for now. The latest projections showed the conversion for dry docks three and four was on schedule. Three was going to be for experimental testing, four was going to be for the production of a finished craft.
The new gear had made their miners very happy. So much in fact they were predicted to exceed their quota by almost half. They couldn't store or process that much dust right now so it was going to market. DBI was officially in the export business.
But that brought her some bitter news. More unrest with another protest being broken up. It was confusing to say the least. Both sides were arguing for more protection for their own people. Some local humans said the faunus were being given too much. Some of the faunus claimed they weren't getting enough. It was maddening.
She'd passed the instruction down to make it clear everyone was getting the same deal. No one was getting any special privilege that anyone else got. Yet still grumbling and discontent kept nipping at the edges of their workforce.
Her train of thought came to a stop as her terminal played a chime. It was the custom one she'd picked for O'Connor, a little trumpet playing some call to battle. She took a moment to rub her temples then accepted the call.
O'Connor's face appeared on her screen.
'Hey Ramos, how's things in the latest industrial revolution?' He asked.
'Oh you know. People's problems. Reminds me why we use DeeBees so much. Way less whingeing,' She replied with a tired smile.
'You think it's bad getting them to work, try giving them paint guns and running training. Half the time they have a negligent discharge into their own team.'
'Really? Please tell me they're getting better at least?'
'Oh they are. We have a lot more leeway with punishment. Ever tried doing CQC training with a DR-1 as the opponent?'
Ramos hissed through her teeth at the thought. That would hurt those things could and did mend metal with their hands.
'I take it this isn't just a social call. So what do you need?' Ramos asked.
'You remember when we pulled the railguns from the city defenses?' O'Connor asked, scratching his cheek.
'Yes. We agreed there was no need for that kind of fire power. Why?'
'We've found out why the locals don't mind ships having as much firepower as they can float with.'
As he finished speaking a set of files appeared on Ramoses terminal. There was a mix of images, videos and text. But the images alone would have been enough. On the first few were huge black shapes, it took a moment for the scale to click in her head.
'What. The. Fuck. Are those?' Ramos asked as she paged through the file.
'Those are Leviathans. They are rare to see. But it seems that deep sea gigantism is a feature of Grimm as well,' O'Connor said with a sigh.
'Great, so now we need coastal defense guns. I don't suppose the locals have any new innovations to fight these things?'
'You mean aside from the heavy barbed chain nets with bombs stuck to them? Check out the file marked "Colossus"'
Ramos searched and found the file then opened it. She sat in silence for a moment then looked O'Connor dead in the eyes, well looked at the screen.
'You are joking right?' She asked clenching her fists.
O'Connor shook his head slowly saying nothing.
'You are FUCKING KIDDING ME!' Ramos shouted, punching her desk, 'Who builds a giant robot as a weapon? How do they build a giant robot as a weapon? Arrrggghhh.'
'To be far there is only one,' O'Connor added.
'That just means that it's worse since they can only afford one. How much of a budget sink is that thing.'
'I can't say. But I guess provided you don't need one of those we're saving money,' O'Connor said laughing.
'Oh fuck this planet,' Ramos muttered into her hands.
'You're cutting our budget? But we're half way through the year. We've already allocated the funds,' Iron wood said, his grip on his desk nearly warping the metal.
'I'm aware of the unexpected James. But please understand that the last budget was made when we expected more tax to cover the costs,' Councilman Dew said.
'It's General Ironwood, Councilman. And may I ask why this was voted on without me present? As th-'
'Yes. Yes as the head of both the Atlesian military and Academy you hold two seats. But you must understand. Given the motion was passed with a majority vote it would have made no difference.'
Ironwood took a slow breath to steady himself. He knew why Dew was doing this. No doubt he had spoken of it as a means of lowering the taxes in the run up to the next council election.
'I see. Then I will need to review our projects and find any points where we can make adjustments,' Ironwood said, already running the numbers in his mind.
'No need we've looked and noted some strange projects that we'd like you to close down,' Dew said with a smile.
'You what?' Ironwood said coldly.
'Now now James. We might not know exactly what you're up to James. But we do get to know what you call your little experiments.'
'It is General Ironwood not James,' Ironwood said between gritted teeth.
'Very well General,' Dew said, rolling his eyes, 'We feel you can close down these projects.'
A set of names appeared on Ironwood's screen. He matched them to the corresponding project and felt like he'd been struck. Most were smaller experimental teams that were more secondary. But the primary ones were the new androids, Stonefish airships, cloaking tech, reverse engineering of the JACK and the Paladin. Each was a key new part of their ability to match the COG.
'Councilman these projects are vital to us maintaining our position as the first line of Remnants defense,' Ironwood said.
'I'm sure you feel that way. But unless you're willing to brief the council on what these projects pertain to you'll have to make cuts,' Dew said.
Ironwood felt the knife in his gut twist. Dew knew he'd never do that. He might as well steam the briefing directly to the net and save the council the trouble of leaking the information. He'd tried in the past and each time one of them spoke to an aide who spoke to an assistant who would speak to the media.
'I'll see what can be done. If that's all, Councilman. I have some calls to make,' Ironwood said finally.
'That's all for now James,' Dew said before hanging up.
'Its General,' Ironwood muttered to the blank screen.
Ironwood leaned back into his chair trying to relax. He truly felt sometimes that Atlas would be better without a council. Every year something like this happens. Some politicians clinging to their position turn to hacking away at the government. In the hope they could pass the savings onto the people and keep their job.
After a few moments he looked back at the screen and began moving the numbers around. He'd spend enough time trying to keep Atlas in fighting shape. Even when he was a newly minted lieutenant he'd had to be creative with his budget.
In the end he had something passable. They would be able to keep the androids and Jack programs. But the cloaking, Stonefish and Paladin would need heavy cutbacks to stay in the lines. That would not be good. Watts had not been happy when his last set of projects had been snatched away because of a change in funds.
Ironwood sent off a message calling for a meeting with Watts. Hopefully he could reason with him. A few minutes later Watts entered the room.
'Don't tell me James,' He said gruffly.
'Arthur ple-' Ironwood started.
'DON'T!' Watts shouted.
'I've kept enough to keep the project going.'
'Oh really? Enough to keep it going? What about Polendina and Cent's little sideshows? Are they getting cuts?'
'I've cut back on their programs as well.'
'But the Paladin is taking the brunt isn't it?' Watts asked, resting his head in his hands.
'That and the Stonefish among others,' Ironwood said sadly.
'Oh wonderful. So how are we to get these new Androids to the battle? We've already sold most of the Bullhead fleet along with their parts.'
'We'll just have to make do for now. Perhaps the Manta program can be brought forward.'
'I can't work like this James. We're meant to be the greatest Kingdom. So why can't we be left to our work? Why can't you see the waste of all this?'
Ironwood sighed as he massaged his temples, 'I'm well aware of the waste. If I had it my way I'd tell Councilman Dew where he could put his budget cuts.'
'Dew,' Watts said, spitting the name out.
'I'm afraid so. It seems we're going to have to hold on a little longer before your new mech can enter serial production.'
'And to think I almost forgot it was election season.'
'The powers at be have made their decision. I'm just the messenger I'm afraid.'
'I thought you being on the council was meant to help us build a better future. How has anything changed?'
'It's hard for me to fight when the rest of the council can vote over me.'
'So it's a joint effort, how delightful,' Watts said with venom.
'Arthur just do what you can for now. I'll keep trying to see what else we can do.'
Watts sat still for a few moments then rose.
'Oh don't worry James. I'm sure it will all work out in the end,' He said, turning to leave.
'Arthur. Thank you and as always you're still one of Atlases brightest minds,' Ironwood said as Watts reached the door.
'It's a shame that the title doesn't seem to mean as much as it used to,' Watts said before leaving.
Ironwood rested his head in his hands. One of these days Watts was going to snap.
Watts remained his normal detached self as he took the lift down to the labs. He walked into his personal lab and into the office space attached. His only delay was ensuring the door was closed.
Took a long breath and muttered, 'Why?'
Then he said it louder, 'Why?'
The third time he cast the pile of documents and diagrams on his desk to the floor as he screamed, "WHY?!"
He began smashing models and tearing up documents cursing the world, the council and James Ironwood. They all spoke of his great mind yet kept trying to snuff out any idea he dared to offer. Adversity might be the mother of invention but this may as well be infanticide.
Finally he reached his catharsis. Looking around he saw the damage of his outburst. Once more he cursed them all for this insult. Then he had a new idea. A wonderful, bright idea.
Why did he let this happen? He was one of the greatest minds in the world. Why did he allow himself to be treated this way? He strode over to his terminal and began to search, any barrier was easily bypassed, he'd built many of these systems after all.
He'd spend his life solving the problems of the world. Now he would be solving his worldly problems, starting with a certain councilman. Perhaps politics would be more complex than dust theory.
'So how were classes today?' Tai asked as he served dinner.
'Great. Just great,' Ruby said stiffly.
'Ooookkkaayyy. Yang, how about you?'
'Well you know how things are… Like uh. Ruby said. Great,' Yang said, scratching the back of her head.
'What happened?' Tai asked resigned.
'Ruby blew part of the range up,' Yang said quickly.
'What no. I mean kind of. You could argue-' Ruby started to babble.
'What. Happened?' Tai asked looking Ruby in the eye.
His youngest daughter did a very impressive sequence of facial expressions before settling on biting her lip.
'I tried out my new mechanism for Crescent Rose,' She said.
'And I'm sure you let the instructors check your work first. Right Ruby?'
'Kinda,' She mumbled.
'Kinda?' Tai asked, leaning forward over the dinner table.
'Well they were just so busy. I kept getting them to check my work. But they said it was taking up their time so I would have to wait. So I waited and waited. But they weren't going to get back to me before our slot was up. So I sort of gave it a try,' Ruby said, letting her hands fall to her side.
'And where were you during this?' Tai asked, looking at his eldest daughter.
Yang looked up from her plate caught in the act.
'Hmm?'
'You said you would help Ruby out. That includes stopping her from doing something stupid.'
'I can't be there all the time. No one got hurt anyway.'
'Yeah this time. But what about next time? You two want to be Huntresses. That means taking responsibility for yourselves and others.'
'Sorry Dad.' Ruby mumbled.
'Yeah sorry,' Yang added.
'Okay. I hope you two do better going forward. Or you'll both be grounded with no desserts for a month,' Tai said, folding his arms.
'What?! That is blackmail! BLACKMAIL!' Ruby shouted, banging her fist onto the table.
'Do you want to make it two?'
'I gracefully accept your offer,' Ruby said with a snooty tone.
'Yeah sounds fair,' Yang said, pushing her chair out.
'And where are you going?' Tai asked as Yang walked to the door.
'I'm meeting up with my friends in town. We're going to do a bit of dancing,' Yang said, picking up her keys.
Ruby's eyes bulged as she watched her sister leave. She waited until Yang closed the door before standing and trying to walk out of the room.
'I. Um. Need to go. For a thing,' Ruby said as she reached for the backdoor handle.
'Ruby what caused the explosion?' Tai asked, pinching his nose.
'Well I sort of wanted to try and see if I could make Crescent Rose have an electromagnetic boost.'
'So the explosion was?' Tai asked knowing Ruby would crack.
'I borrowed the battery from Yang's bike and connected it to a set of accelerator rails I built in the shed.'
'Did Yang know about this?'
There was a roar from outside. Both Tai and Ruby looked to the sound then back to each other.
'She does now,' Ruby said before bursting into a cloud of petals as she ran out of the door.
Blue team was ready and set. They had the whole building locked down. Blue leader held up a hand for quiet and leaned around the corner trying to catch sight of their targets. He caught sight of a faint green blur moving into cover outside.
He was about to give the signal to move up when he heard something land behind him.
'Did you see something?' A cheery voice asked.
Blue leader spun around trying to shout orders. There was a flash of light as someone fired. For a split second he saw the rest of the team flying as they were knocked away. Then the face of a hammer filled his vision, it struck painting his view with pink. He dropped to the ground like a puppet with his stings cut as his armor jolted him with a shock. A moment later it stopped and his HUD reported he was out.
There was a loud klaxon and the lights in the training area came back up. Corporal Steele pulled off his helmet with a sigh and turned to look at the rest of his team. Each had a patch of pink paint on their armor.
The one figure who stood out was the young woman grinning from ear to ear. Unlike the members of Blue team in their cadet armor with neon blue highlights. Her armor highlights were pink. She had a large hammer with a paint cartridge loaded on its striking face.
'Oh come on,' One of the cadets called, 'Ren I get but how did Valkyrie get the drop on us.'
'She's quieter than she looks. Besides you didn't hear her coming either,' Another responded.
'You guys were watching around you. I just walked over the top of the building and dropped behind you,' Nora said, putting her hands on her hips.
'What? Why would we look up? Normal people can't climb in full armor!' The first cadet said anger building.
'Normally people no, 'Ren said walking up to the group, 'But you're training to fight people with aura. That means we can move fast and in ways that you might not consider. The purpose of this training isn't to win, it's to learn how to anticipate your opponent, make a plan to counter them and adjust to the situation.'
'Still isn't fair,' The cadet grumbled walking back to the start area.
Steele sighed and nodded to Ren, 'Don't worry. They were just hoping this time they'd pull the rug out from under you.'
Ren gave a polite nod, 'I'm sure they'll come up with an idea. And I will come up with a way to counter them. This training is for both teams to learn and improve.'
'Fair enough. But I've got twelve cadets counting me and you two are six rounds up on us.'
'Best seven out of thirteen?' Nora asked as she walked over.
'Naa we'll call it after one more run. And you better get your helmet on, you know the instructors will give you hell for not wearing it,' Steele said, nodding to Nora's helmet.
Nora groaned and unclipped it from her belt.
'But it's so hard to see out of and I've got an aura. Why do I need this bucket anyway?'
'Because if your aura fails you don't want to get hit in the face with a paint round,' Steele said walking back to the start point.
'I agree with you that the helmet does restrict our vision. But the added protection is worth it,' Ren said, moving back to their own start area.
Nora sighed but put the helmet on.
The eighth round went like the first seven to start with. The cadets setup to breach the building that Ren and Nora were guarding. This time however they opened by throwing their grenades, all of them.
'This seems extreme,' Ren said as they darted out of the rooms ahead of the paint blasts.
'You did say hey would come up with something,' Nora quipped back.
The cadets charged in right after the blasts. This was their most aggressive attack yet. But also their most well executed, Ren noted. They were advancing with better coordination then when they'd started. He and Nora were still going to send them back covered in paint if they had any say in it.
He glanced over, nodding to Nora. She nodded back and turned to move into place. Even with the helmets they'd spent enough time fighting together not to need words to plan. Ren dashed out around the front of the group drawing their attention.
Lines of blue paint rounds chased him as he weaved between the waist high walls. He fired back in quick bursts, some hit others missed, but this was a distraction. Finally he was behind them and took cover behind a wall taking a moment to reload his pistols.
They were talon automatic pistols. A bonus of working for the COG was they were happy to issue equipment. He'd taken the time to adjust to the kick of the weapons, given that he'd made do with old mixed sets it had gone rather smoothly in his opinion.
A quick coat of green paint and a few adjustments to the armor and he felt more like a huntsman than ever. He had equipment, was getting training and had Nora by his side. Things couldn't be better in his mind.
The rounds striking his cover were starting to drop off, Nora would have to make her entrance soon. They were starting to wise up to this little diversion. He heard a battle cry and a round of curses and chanced a peek out.
Nora landed inside the group of cadets bringing down her own new weapon. The COG had called it a long technical name. Its functions had been vast and complex in description. But it was a hammer, a blunt tool designed to hit things. She'd fitted it with a custom made dust dispenser, now filled with paint to avoid lasting injury.
Lacking the lightning dust she would normally have to boost her attacks she'd wraApped two shock grenades around the end. The detonation electrified both her and the cadets, Nora was fine, they were less so. Nora looked down at the twitching bodies of their opponents and called time out. The medics arrived quickly and pronounced them stunned but alive.
With the training now over Ren and Nora shook hands with those cadets who could stand before taking their leave.
'So what do you think of all of this?' Nora asked as they walked back to the main building.
'Think to what?' Ren replied.
'This,' Nora said, gesturing to the buildings around them.
They were standing in what they had been told was a scale model of a COG settlement. Ren could believe it. The buildings themselves were copies of the ones the COG had built at Phoenix Bay and the other locations. But they were also filled out with furniture to add to the realism.
'Its very impressive how dedicated they are to training their people I suppose,' Ren said.
'You know that's not what I mean,' Nora said. Pausing as a group of COG androids marched past to replace the broken parts of the training area.
'What do you mean then?'
'Why have we trained against those guys? Why in this toy town built like their capital? What kind of Bandits will have grenades or rifles like them?'
'I don't know, I assumed they wanted to be ready for anything,' Ren said, trying not to look too deeply into her words.
Nora sped up enough to stand in-front of him blocking his path.
'And what about what they're practicing? Fighting people with aura? Near enough to Huntsmen. I'm just a little worried we're not on the right side here Ren,' She said softly.
'We are on the right side,' Ren said confidently as he rested a hand on her shoulder, 'The COG's done so much already. They built a whole new city and took in so many people in need of help. You've met the faunus who've moved here. This could be the start of a whole new age for all of Remnant.'
'Yeah I know but… I just can't help but wonder what else this could all be leading to,' Nora said. Turning to looking out at the wargames taking place.
'Perhaps you're right. But even then it's better we're here. We can help change things from the inside for the better.'
'Yeah. Yeah we can,' Nora said in her usual jovial tone.
Ren just wished he could convince himself as well. There were things that didn't add up. But he would do what he always did. Watch, listen and act accordingly.